Spark-plug.



E. J. NOBLE.

SPARK PLUG.

APPLICATION FILED 001. 5, 1912.

1,1 10,813, Patented Sept.15,1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

. I N Y Attest: 5 M Inventor:

by M E. J1 NOBLE.

SPARK PLUG. APPLIOATION FILED 0e15, 1912.

Patented Sept. 15, 1914.

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0b JJAAIII'IIIIIIIJ(IIIIIIIII gm Inventor:

UNITED STATES PAT M OFFICE.

EDWARD J. NOBLE, or'nnw Yonmu. Y.

SPARK-PLUG.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 15, 1914.

Application filed October 5,- 1912. Serial No. 724,028.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD J. NOBLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spark-Plugs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to spark plugs for internal combustion engines and the like,

and its novelty consists in'the construction In the operaand adaptation of the parts. tion of engines of this character, the spark plugs employed to ignite the charge of compressed gas deteriorate in quality by reason of the fact that the conductivity of the sparking terminals is lessened because of a deposit of carbon thereon due to, the impen feet combustion of the gases within the cylinder of the engine and the insulating effi ciency of the insulating materials employed to insulate the sparking elements from each other is likewise impaired by a similar depositof carbon. The purpose of my invention is to overcome the difiiculties arising from this situation and to provide a simple means by which the sparkingtenninals or the insulating material interposed between them may be cleansed of such deposit of carbon without removing them from the engines in which they are used, andin a simple and expeditious manner.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of a spark plug embodying my invention; Fig. 2' is a detail of the upper' portion of such a plug, and Fig. 3 is detail of the lower portion of the rotating rod and wiping arms; Fig. 4 is modified form of my invention; Fig. 6 is a' a bottom plan view of the device shown in Fig.1; Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal section .of a spark plug embodying a slightly to be inserted into an aperture in the head of an engine and it is threaded externally for that purpose. It is provided with a limiting flange 22 and with polygonal surfaces 23 to facilitate its'rotation by means of a wrench or other suitable tool; At its lower extremity-it is provided with a sparking terminal indicated at 24. Located with in the bushing 20 is a tubular casing 25 made of suitable insulating material, preferably mica or porcelain. Inside of this.

casing is a: tube 26 of conducting material, preferably steel. It is provided with an annular flange 27 adapted to fit snugly withan annular recess formed in the casing to receive it, and at its opposite end it ,is externally threaded at 28 to engage the internal threads of a "collar 30 made of suit- 1 able conducting material, for instance, brass projecting sparking terminal indicated at 29. Projectingfrom the collar is an ordi- .70 or steel, and which is adapted'to fit over the end of the tube 26-and beyond the casing 25.

The tube 26 is "provided with an outwardly nary binding post 31 to which a suitable electric conductor (not shown) may be attached.

Arranged within the tube 26 is a cylindrical rod 33 having a squared portion 34, .at its upper end. Adisk-35, having a squared central aperture adapted to fit over the squared portion 34 of the rod 33and'to be rotatedwith it, is placed above the collar 30. At its lower end, the rod 33 is provided with one or more radially projecting wiping arms 36which are turned upward at their extremities.

A lock u; 37is adapted-to fit over the casing 25' within the bushing 20, the bush} ing being internally threaded for a portion of its length to receive such lock nut which :is externally threaded to engage therewith.

" Means are provided to position the rod 33 audits wiping arms 36 as follows: The

disk 35 isprovided with a cam tooth 40 onits lower edge, and the collar 30 is provided with a recess 41 on its upper edge adapted."

to receive this cam tooth (see Fig. 2). When the toothflO is engaged in the recess 41-, the wiping arms 36 are farthest away from the sparking terminals 24. and 29, and

these arms are then inftheir normal position:

.'A coiled spring 42 adapted to umpin ge permit it.

against a disk 43 rigidly secured to or made When the rod 33 is rotated, asit may be by'the application of a suitable tool to its squared upper portion, the wiping arms 36 at its opposite extremity, as such rotationcontinues, pass between the sparking terminals 24 and'29 and, being of such a size and shape that they contact with the surfaces of both of theseterminals, they wipe such terminals clean and remove any deposit which may have adhered thereto, and leave them in a' proper conducting condition. The operator knows when such wiping contact has taken place by means of the position of the tooth 40 with respect to the recess 41 at anytime. It is readily understood that by'the rotation of this central rod 33, the sp'arking'terminals may be cleansed as often as may be desired without removing the spark plug from the cylinder to whichit is attached and without impairing its conductivity or efiiciency. As oneof the things to be guarded against in the use of a spark plug is any leakage of gas from the inside of the cylinder, and as this gas is'heated and undergreat pressure,

I provide means for preventing such leakage even although the central rod 33 is rotatable within the tube 26 comprising a disk 360 secured toor madeintegral with the.

. lower end of the. rod 33, and which disk fits snugly against the-lower extremity of the tube 26, and in fact is pressed upwardly against such extremity by the pressure of the gases in the cylinder and which forms.

' an effectual seal preventing the: escape of such gases through the very small surface between the rotatable rod 33 and it's inclosg tube, should such escape become other- "wise possible.

v 1 In Figs. 5 and 6, there is-'illustrated a I modifiedform of the device. In-these fig- 50.

ures as before, 20 'is the bushingengaging the'engine cylinder aperture and itis proever, is'turned inwardly at its lower extremity 8.S"1S shown in Fig. 5. Located polygonal surfaces 23 jto'facilitate its rotation. Atits lower extremity, it is provided withthe sparking terminal 24 which, .how-

flange :21 which,

Figs'l andv 4', as is also the'lo'ck nut 37. I

Figs. 7, 8, 9,10 and -11,there is shown 25 an which extends beneath-such casing.

At its opposite end this tube26 isexterl ially threadednt 28 to engagethe internal threads of the collar 30 which, as before, is adapted to fit over the end of the tube 26 and beyond the casing 25. The tube 26 is also provided with an outwardly projecting sparking termm the col-' minal 29 as before. Projecting lar 30 is the binding post 31.

Arranged within the-tube 26 in this construction isthe cylindrical rod 33 having the" squared portion 34, andxthere'is also the" same'construction of the disk 35 withitssquared central aperture adapted to fit over the squared portion 34 of the rod, and to be rotated with it. At its lower endt-his rod 33 is, however-,not provided with the radial 5 projecting wiping arms 36 shown in Figs. 1 and 3, but is provided with a device which I call for convenience a wiping basketcomprising a ring 331 adapted to encircle the restricted portion 250 of the casing 25 to be also supported thereon, and comprising downwardly projecting arms 332 whlchfare in close contact to the slo'ping sides of the foot 2510f the casing 25 and which at their lower extremities are secured to or-madeintegral with thesealing disk 360 which forms the lower terminus for the rod 33.

Thesparkingterminals 24 and 29 in this construction are so placed t at when the rod 33 is rotated as before, the ownwardly projecting rods 332 of the'wiping-b'asket wipes against the foot 251 of the casing 25 and passes between the ends of the two sparking terminalsand cleanses and wipes them as in the construction first-described.

The means for rotating the rod 33 an positioning it with res' ect to the sparking terminals, namely, the if its cam tooth 40 andthe recess 41 in the colisk 35 provided with lar 30, and the intermediate spring 42, a're the same-as in-the constructionshown in a still further modification of the device emtrode 290, which in this case is 1 secured to or made integral with-the sealing d1sk360- which forms the bottom of'the'wipingbasket' rotation with the other sparking terminalbodyin'g'the invention, in which the parts lare the same as those illustrated in Figs. 5 a and 6 with the exception of thepositive elecvid'edwith the, limiting flange 22 and the 1 24,"efiectually cleans the contacting surfaces of these sparking terminals and removes any carbon deposit thereon. In other words,

the wiping basket is provided to .cleanse the lower-foot 251 of the tubular casing 25, and

, the positive electrodef290scured to and rotating with this basket serves as a wi ing arm to cleanse the contacting surfaces 0 the sparking electrodes,

What I claim is:

1. A spark plug, having a sparking terminal, a clcanin device for the terminal rotatahly mounted on the wing and movable into and out of contact with the terminal, and means for locking the cleaning device to the plug against accidental rotation, said means engaging the cleaning device to secure it only when the same is out of contact with the sparking terminal.

2. A spark plug, having a sparking terminal, a cleanin device for the terminal rotatably mountet on the plug and movable into and out of contact with the terminal, and means for locking the cleaning device against accidental rotation, said means comprising detachablv interlocking arts -earricd rcspectivel y the plug ant cleaning device and inter ocking only when the cleaning device is out of contact with the spark ing terminal.

.3. A spark plug havin a sparking terminal at its inner end, a cl eaning device comprising a shaft rotatably mounted in the plug and projecting from both ends thereof, a cleaning finger mounted on the inner end of the shaft and movable therewith into and out of contact with the terminal, and detachably interlocking devices carried by the outer end of the plug and shaft for securing said shaft against rotation, said devices interlocking only when the cleaning finger is out of contact with the terminal.

4. A spark plug having a sparking terminal at its inner end, a cleaning device comprising a shaft rotatably mounted in the plu and projecting from both ends thereof, a c caning finger mounted on the inner end ofthc shaft and movable therewith into and out of contact with the terminal, and a spring-pressed device longitudinally slidable upon the outer end of the shaft and having -a detachable interlocking enageme'nt wit the plug for holding the she t against rotatron.

5. A spark plug having a sparking terminal, acleaning device comprising a shaft rotatably mounted in-the )lug and projecting from both ends thereof, a cleaning finger mounted on the inner end of the shaft and operating on the terminal, the outer portion of the shaft being angular in cross section, a 'lisk slidahl mounted on the angular )ortion of the s aft and detachabv interloetin with the outer end of the plug, another dis mounted on said shaft in spaced relation to the first mentioned disk, and a spring interposed between the disks.

6. A plug, comprising a casing having a sparking terminal projecting beyond its inner end, a tubular conductor in the casing having its inner end prance-ting beyond the casing and provided with a latter-ally projectin terminal coaeting with the first mentionet terminal and spaced March-om, a shaft rotatably mounted in the tulmlar conductor and projecting beyond the same. and a cleanin r tinger carrier by the projecting end of the shaftand having an upstanding end that operates between the terminals on the rotation of the shaft.

7. A spark plug comprising a casing adapted to be inserted in the engine cylinder, a sparking terminal connected thereto, an electrical conductor suitably insulated from said casing and a sparking terminal connected thereto, a device adapted to be rotated between the two sparking terminals to clean them, means for positioning such device consisting of a mutually engageable tooth and notch, one on a fixed portion of the spark plug and the other on the rotatable device. and means for keeping the positioning means-under tension as the rotatable device is moved.

8. A lu lraving a s arking terminal, an actuatin evlce rotataily and reciprocahly mounted on the plug, a cleani g, device for the sparking terminal carried by the actuating device hnd sweeping said terminal upon the rotation of the actuating device, and a plug-cleaning device mounted on the terminal cleaning device and connected thereby to the actuating device, said plug cleanin device sweeping the exposed external portion of the plug upon the reciprocation of the actuating device.

9. A plug having a arking terminal, an actuating device'movaly mounted on the plug, a plurality of cleaning devices carried y the actuating device and successively sweeping the sparking terminal, and a plug cleaning ring surrounding a portion of the slug and carried by the terminal cleaning evices, said ring .being thereby connected to the actuating device.

10. A plug comprising a tubular casing, an insulator located therein and projecting from the inner end thereof, said re ecting ortion having an annular eaterna l recess in its peripherv, a reci rocatory actuating rod extending throuh t re insulator. a cleaning ring that norma ly surrounds the recess in s aced relation to the insulator and is mova le over the end portion of the insulator, and a finger connecting the rod and the ring.

11. A spark plug having an inwardly projecting sparking termina and an insulator that has an end projecting inwardly from the plug a cleaning device movably mounted on the plug and cooperating with the spark; ing terminal, and a cleaning rin Y carried by the cleanin device and surrounding the projecting en of the insulator.

- 12. A spark plug comprising a casing having an inwardly extending sparking termiend of the insulator, said shaft having a nal, an insulator located in the casing and I longitudinal movement to effect a cleaning projecting beyond the inner end of the same, action of the ring upon the insulator. a tubular conductor arranged Within the i In testimony whereof I afiix my signature 5 insulator and having glspzilrkfinig terninal p11 in presence of two witnesses.

its inner end a rotata e s a t ocate in tie l conductor, finger carried by the inner end EDVARD NOBLE of the shaft and operating between the spark- \Vitnesses: ing terminals, and a cleaning ring carried by ALAN C. MODQNNELL, 10 the finger and surrounding the projecting EDNA A. MORELAND. 

